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Progreso Produce shows off new bags, Web site

(March 10, 2:18 p.m.) Progreso Produce Ltd.’s new onion bags are easy-to-read with bold prints and color codes for each type of onion.

Sweet onions have a logo that indicates they’re best served raw, yellow onions show a cooking pot to demonstrate they’re best cooked, white onions are shown as strong, and reds as bold, best for accents and garnishes.

“It’s a little bit more user-friendly,” said Curtis DeBerry, president of the Boerne, Texas-based company, with descriptions of the flavor profile of sweet versus hot onions.

The bags also bear a generic message — instead of a brand name or label — so retailers can promote a category in general, which has been very popular with the stores that have tested the bags, DeBerry said.

“It’s been very positive,” he said. “Our first test stores were reporting consumer pickup up about 21%.”

Progreso Produce also launched a Web site, www.onionuse.com, featuring different types of onions and their best uses.

“A lot of younger Americans just don’t know how to use an onion,” DeBerry said. “We’re building the site so that the consumer can get educated on onion usage. We’ll be continually updating with new recipes and new ideas.”

About the Author:

Pamela Riemenschneider, Editor

Pamela Riemenschneider has been with The Packer Newspaper for the past 10 years, and editor of sister publication Produce Retailer Magazine since 2009. During her time with Vance Publishing, she’s traveled all over North America and Europe visiting grocery operations, from single-store fruit stands to national chain supermarkets. She focuses on retail and consumer trends, packaging, new products and in-store operations to help retailers build exceptional produce categories. She also produces a video series from her Austin, Texas, home, “Pamela’s Kitchen,” where she does first-hand reviews of new products, often featuring her two sons, Ike and Uli.